


Our Time Now

by WhatWouldJackSparrowDo



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: ATLA Secret Santa 2020, Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Family, Friendship, Gen, Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, POV Azula (Avatar), POV Zuko (Avatar), Protective Zuko (Avatar), Women Being Awesome
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:09:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28302858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhatWouldJackSparrowDo/pseuds/WhatWouldJackSparrowDo
Summary: When ten-year-old Zuko's life was on the line, Ursa killed Ozai and Azulon and left Iroh with a nation to rule, a war to end, and two children to raise. Six years later, Zuko and Azula get sent on a diplomatic mission to the Southern Water Tribe. Of everything they were expecting to to come of it, the resurgence of the long-lost Avatar wasn't on the list. Now their mission has been extended: escort the Avatar across the world to the Northern Tribe, alongside his Southern guards.Zuko sees this as the perfect opportunity to establish a solid, durable alliance with both Water Tribes and simultaneously win over the Avatar's favor (which isn't too hard, since he's a very friendly twelve-year-old). The only problem is that Azula has an ulterior motive: hunt down the mother who betrayed them and their nation long ago.
Relationships: Azula & Katara (Avatar), Azula & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka & Suki & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 54





	1. Take to the Sky

**Author's Note:**

  * For [burnt_oranges](https://archiveofourown.org/users/burnt_oranges/gifts).



> Hello and happy holidays to everyone who's celebrating something this month! This is my contribution to the 2020 ATLA Secret Santa.
> 
> This story is fully written, but I'm spacing out the updates a little - it'll all be published within two weeks though, so if you'd prefer to wait until it's fully posted, check back on 01/06!
> 
> Title is from The Kids Aren't Alright by Fall Out Boy. I've got a couple playlists to listen to while reading if you like, one [short](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7malInz2Jt7TYTsT8hrOwc?si=qJ_o5RToSQSHr0hIzhmhRQ) (~1 hr) and one [long](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Gz827YqqtmtIl7NcXkOY5?si=ocwZnOB_Rz-XBTSATNm_jQ) (~3.5 hrs).
> 
> Hope you enjoy! (Especially my giftee!)

> I don’t have to raise my voice  
>  Don’t have to be underhand  
>  Just got to understand  
>  That it’s gonna be up and down  
>  It’s gonna be lost and found  
>  And I can’t take to the sky  
>  Before I like it on the ground
> 
> Miniature Disasters by KT Tunstall

#### Chapter 1: Take to the Sky

#### Zuko’s POV

A series of firm knocks at the door announced someone’s presence just outside.

“Come in.”

The cold winds of the South Pole flooded into Zuko’s cabin as the door was pushed open. “We’re nearly there, sir.”

“Thank you, Captain Jee,” Zuko responded, setting aside the trade agreement that Uncle Iroh had sent with him. The document had already been signed by all involved parties, but Zuko had been reviewing it during his trip to memorize everything that might be pertinent. “I’ll let my sister know.”

Jee nodded and stepped out of the doorway.

Zuko rose from his desk and stepped way, casting one last look at his notes before following Jee out of the room. In the hallway, his path departed from Jee’s when Jee headed back onto the deck while Zuko traveled deeper into the interior of the ship.

Predictably, he found Azula in the training room. She had done little other than train in the past day or two as they had neared their arctic destination, claiming it was a way to keep warm. Zuko suspected, however, that it was more a way of exercising pent-up frustration at their current objective: establishing a lasting bond with the Southern Water Tribe. Azula was adamant in her belief that the Fire Nation was showing weakness by going out of their way to befriend poorer nations. Those nations should, in her own words, “be grateful that we left them with what territory they have.”

For his part, Zuko was mildly excited about the mission. A tad nervous, seeing as it was his first real diplomatic excursion without Uncle Iroh a step ahead of him, but mostly excited. He had never been so far south. That being said, the cold was a bit of a downer – another reason why Azula was unhappy. No firebender _liked_ the cold, but Azula acted, in general, as if the existence of cold places was a personal affront. Privately, he thought it was a bit unfortunate that Azula’s first trip to one of the poles was to be a week-long affair. Spending a day or two there first might have warmed her to the place…, well, metaphorically speaking, anyway.

He knocked once on the open door, calling to her, “Azula, we’re nearly there.”

Azula maintained her stance, her gaze never wavering from her invisible target. “I understand.”

“Are those the forms that Lo and Li just taught you?” he asked, impressed. “You’ve mastered some quickly.”

“They’re much easier to master with silence,” she remarked acerbically.

Zuko waited patiently in the doorway, counting backwards from five.

“…Thank you,” she added, her expression softening momentarily.

“Of course. I’ll see you on the deck soon?”

“Certainly.”

Minutes later, Zuko and Azula strode ahead of the rest of their delegation down the ramp of their ship. At the bottom, a similarly sized group of adults in the traditional formalwear of the Southern Water Tribe. Interestingly, their clothes were in lighter, more subdued shades of blue than those of the Northern Tribe, whose delegates Zuko had recently met when they traveled to the Fire Nation capital to resolve a territorial dispute.

“You must be Prince Zuko and Princess Azula,” one man said, stepping forward.

“Indeed, we are.” Zuko hesitated, trying to get a read on his body language. Did this man’s action of speaking up ahead of his colleagues indicate that he was their leader? He was inclined to assume as much, but not enough to do so verbally.

He was working out the most diplomatic way to inquire as to the man’s status when Azula, evidently possessing no such reservations, said, “And you must be Chief Hakoda.”

The man nodded. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both. These are my children, Sokka and Katara.”

There they were – the real reason Zuko and Azula were here instead of Iroh or one of his more experienced representatives. Zuko had not shared this with Azula, although she had almost certainly inferred this herself, but he was positive that Iroh’s intention had been for him and Azula to "bond" (read: network) with the other teens as future leaders of their respective nations. It was quite the shame that it was a job better suited for Azula, since she was far less likely to be interested in such a thing. Zuko could only hope at least one of them was interesting enough to hold her attention.

Zuko and Hakoda briefly exchanged pleasantries. Then Hakoda suggested that Sokka and Katara give both Zuko and Azula a tour of their community, confirming, in Zuko’s eyes, that his plans were similar to Iroh’s. He agreed all the same, and so the rest of their delegation followed Hakoda and his council to the guest residence that had been arranged for them, leaving just the four adolescents in the clearing.

“So… I’m Sokka,” Sokka said, which was rather redundant, seeing as his father had practically just introduced him. Sokka winced immediately afterwards, perhaps sensing the redundancy himself, but seemed compelled regardless to follow up with, “and that’s Katara, my sister.”

Katara eyed him, unimpressed. “I think they know, Sokka.”

Sokka ignored her, clapping his hands. “So! Let’s get this tour on the road, shall we?”

He led them through the tribe, pointing out locations of varying significance as they went. (“That’s where we keep the arctic hens when it gets really cold out – oh, and _that’s_ where Katara nearly _suffocated_ me in snow three years ago – “) Katara was apparently content to let him conduct the tour on his own, opting to hang back with Azula and make small talk, or, more accurately, attempt to make small talk. Azula was predictably unreceptive, but Katara was quite dogged in her efforts. Zuko didn’t envy her.

There was minimal back-and-forth until Katara said off-handedly, “We might be passing through the Fire Nation next year; that’s when Dad says Sokka and I can travel to the North Pole to find a waterbending master.”

Interest piqued, Zuko paused and turned to her. “You’re a waterbender?”

Katara nodded enthusiastically. Sokka mimed yawning, but she paid him no mind, replying excitedly, “The first one in the Southern Water Tribe for decades.”

“I might be able to show some techniques,” Zuko offered.

She quirked an eyebrow. “You mean firebending techniques?” she asked. “Would that really apply to waterbending?” Her voice was more curious than dubious.

“Some of it might. My uncle invented one of his most powerful moves by studying waterbending techniques, after all.”

Katara brightened. “Really? That’s so cool! Maybe – “

“If you took us far enough out from the tribe,” Azula interjected slyly, “I could show you some real firebending.”

Zuko faltered at that. If Azula were looking to flaunt her abilities, it was more likely than not an intimidation tactic, which Iroh had specifically forbidden. That being said, it could also be a chance for her to actually enjoy herself on one of these trips and, dare he say, maybe even connect with other human beings.

He was weighing the possibility of those benefits against the likelihood of diplomatic repercussions when Katara exclaimed, “That sounds great!” effectively ending the internal debate.

Sokka looked vaguely alarmed, which made Zuko wonder if he had made a mistake by failing to nip this outing in the bud, but then the other teen shrugged and said, “We were going to go fishing tomorrow anyway. The more the merrier, right?”

Zuko dearly hoped that he was right.

* * *

In his defense, this was not a situation he could possibly have foreseen, and if it did have diplomatic repercussions, he was absolutely not taking responsibility.

“He’s alive! We have to help him!”

Katara was referring, of course, to the person who was literally inside a giant iceberg. Zuko did not understand how someone could be alive inside an iceberg, but seeing as the figure had just opened their eyes, she must have been correct. She drew Sokka’s club from his sheath and ran towards the iceberg, hammering on it with the weapon.

“Stand aside,” Azula commanded, striding forward. Katara had barely cleared out of the way when Azula discharged a bolt of lightning directly into the iceberg. Cracks immediately formed in the sphere, and within seconds it burst, briefly releasing a great pillar of light directly into the sky.

A swift investigation revealed the figure inside to be Aang, the last of the airbenders from the Southern Air Temple. Zuko reeled at the implications of that. “You must be the Avatar,” he blurted out, staring wide-eyed at the younger boy.

Aang stared back, just as wide-eyed. “Oh, um, no, I’m not the Avatar. Just an airbender.”

Zuko looked to Azula to find her looking back. He raised an eyebrow questioningly. She glanced at Aang, eyes narrowed calculatingly, then glanced back at Zuko and subtly inclined her head. Zuko returned his gaze to Aang. “It would be pretty hard to bend all that water without being a waterbender,” he commented mildly. “Plus, to be able to make an iceberg that you could survive in…, you must be a powerful bender.”

“How long were you in there?” Katara asked, and Zuko decided to let the subject of Avatar vs. Not-Avatar drop for the moment. Azula appeared dissatisfied, but she didn’t redirect the conversation.

Aang frowned, casting a pensive look over his shoulder at the now-destroyed iceberg. “I’m not sure,” he admitted. “Maybe… a day? Or a week?”

“That’s impossible,” Sokka said. “It must have been longer than that. No one’s seen an airbender in a hundred years.”

“What?!”

Zuko hastily launched into an explanation of what had happened, wary of letting any of the other three put a biased or otherwise inaccurate spin on events. As he wrapped up his breakdown of the past hundred years of war, he concluded somewhat forlornly, “It ended six years ago when our mother… poisoned our father and grandfather, Prince Ozai and Fire Lord Azulon respectively. Our Uncle Iroh became Fire Lord and stopped the war immediately.”

“And the murderer was never caught,” Azula muttered darkly. “No matter how many search parties they sent out.”

Despite Ozai’s treatment of Zuko and Azula, the idea of his murderer freely roaming the world made Zuko’s stomach hurt. Despite Ursa’s murder of Zuko’s and Azula’s father, the idea of her returning to the Fire Nation in chains for an execution made his chest hurt. At least he had few misgivings about Azulon’s death, seeing as the old man’s final action had been to order Zuko’s own death. Mostly, he tried not to think about the whole affair. By now, it was highly unlikely that she would ever be caught, anyway, so the point was moot.

Zuko straightened his back and said more spiritedly, “Since then, the Fire Nation has worked hard to make reparations towards the rest of the world. It’s our hope that within the decade, we can see the relationships between countries progress from diplomacy to genuine, lasting friendship.” He was not entirely sure how to interpret the looks on Katara’s and Sokka’s faces at that, but Azula was eyeing them, and he was sure that she would let him know later if there was something he needed to be concerned about.

* * *

Aang gave them all four of them a ride back to the tribe on Appa, his air bison. As soon as they touched down, Katara dragged him off to give him the same tour that Sokka had given Zuko and Azula the day before, only significantly less formally and more enthusiastically. Sokka led Zuko and Azula to the igloo where Chief Hakoda was in the process of meeting with the council.

“Hey, Dad? It’s me and Z- uh, Prince Zuko and Princess Azula.”

Hakoda turned away from the council towards them. “Is everything alright?”

“Alright? Sure, sure. It’s just, um, we were out fishing today and we found… an airbender?”

All of the council members stared at them, wide-eyed. “…Are you sure?” one man asked.

“Positive,” Sokka affirmed. He recounted the tale of their excursion from that day.

“An airbender from a hundred years ago….” one woman murmured pensively. “Could it be…?”

“We suspect he’s the Avatar,” Zuko informed them. He ignored Azula’s displeasure, evident to him in the minute tightening of her lips. “He didn’t say as much, but I’m confident that he is. The iceberg didn’t look like the work of an airbender, but a waterbender.”

Hakoda nodded. “Thank you for sharing. If you don’t mind, I have much to discuss with my council.”

“Of course.” Zuko nodded and took his leave of the room with Azula and Sokka in tow.

He was heading for the exit of the igloo when he felt someone’s grip on his sleeve. He turned to see Sokka, jerking his head to the side of the room. “Don’t you wanna hear what they’re saying?” he hissed.

“Uh….” _Is this a trap?_ Zuko wondered. Part of him wanted to say ‘yes’ because, well, he absolutely did want to hear. On the other hand, there was always the risk of getting caught and causing an international incident.

“Sure we do,” Azula said pleasantly, eyeing Zuko warningly for a split second before switching her focus back to Sokka. “What did you have in mind?”

Sokka led them in the direction he had indicated. It was a little alcove tucked away partially adjacent to the room containing Hakoda and the council, partially behind it. Once there, he knelt in the snow, dug through it with his hands, and unearthed a small glass cup.

“Clever,” Azula remarked, which was so uncharacteristically appreciative that Zuko did a double-take.

Once Sokka had placed the glass against the wall of the room, all three of them leaned forward, aiming their dominant ears at it.

The gist of the conversation was this: Aang, since he was likely the Avatar, would be needing an escort to the Northern Water Tribe to find a waterbending master. Katara needed one anyway, so she and Sokka would be permitted to accompany him and his escort. That would lay the groundwork for a solid, durable alliance between the Water Tribes, particularly the Southern one, and the Avatar. They would be leaving in ten days, so six days after Zuko and Azula were scheduled to embark on their return journey to the Fire Nation. 

After that became clear, they ended their eavesdropping session. Sokka darted off in search of Katara to tell her the exciting news. Zuko and Azula meandered towards their own temporary abode. “Are sure it was wise to eavesdrop?” he asked under his breath. “What if we had been caught?”

Azula shrugged. “Worth the risk. Disregarding the value of the information itself – Sokka, and possibly Katara too, seem to have decided that we’re their peers rather than their political rivals. There is a great deal of value in keeping it that way.”

Zuko quite agreed with that sentiment, and not just for diplomacy’s sake; political rivals were exhausting, and peers were much easier so long as they were well-chosen. Sokka and Katara were perfectly affable, uncomplicated company so far. Moreover, Iroh would be pleased that they were succeeding in their mission so thoroughly.

As soon as they entered their quarters, Azula made a beeline for her belongings, retrieving a quill and some parchment.

“What are you up to?”

Azula cast a smirk at him. “Writing to Uncle, of course.”

* * *

Iroh’s response arrived in record speed five days later, the day before they were to leave. Along with a letter addressed jointly to Zuko and Azula, there were three other letters: one to Chief Hakoda, one to Captain Jee, and one to Aang.

Zuko opened the letter to the two of them first and summarized the contents to Azula, who lounged on her bed as she listened. “He says he’s sending his own delegation with the Avatar, including both of us,” he revealed. “To help them get through the Fire Nation waters…, oh, no, never mind. That’s the official reason. It’s actually so we have more time to befriend him. He also… congratulates you on having had the idea in the first place and such swift communication with him.” He looked up, surprised. “You really want to travel through the Earth Kingdom with an overactive twelve-year-old?”

She shook her head. “You’re looking at this all wrong, Zuzu. This is much more than our standard diplomatic excursions. This is a fight for the allegiance of someone who will soon be the most powerful, influential person in the world, and it’s one that I intend to win.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be out 12/28! Constructive criticism is very welcome if you're feeling generous :)


	2. Ways to Take Flight

> I'm on the outskirts of paradise  
>  Chasing desire through the night  
>  Picturing ways to take flight  
>  When the time comes
> 
> Outskirts of Paradise by Bad Suns

#### Chapter 2: Ways to Take Flight

#### Azula’s POV

The air on Kyoshi’s Island was not much warmer than that of the Southern Water Tribe, but it _was_ warmer. Still, Azula looked forward to making their way through Fire Nation waters.

It had been about two weeks since they left the tribe. Their first stop had, understandably, been the Southern Air Temple. Then they had gone straight to Kyoshi, where they’d been for about a week now. The villagers were enthusiastic to the point of vexation about the Avatar’s arrival, and Captain Jee and Bato, the latter of whom led the Water Tribe members of the escort, had decided it was alright to indulge both the villagers and the Avatar himself, who was quite taken with the village, for a little while. They would be leaving within the next few days, though.

It hadn’t been too terrible a trip yet. Sokka and Katara were no Mai and Ty Lee, but they weren’t unbearably dim or juvenile, either, so she counted it as a win. Sokka was even bordering on humorous once in a while. There wasn’t much positive to be said for Aang’s personality or conduct, but seeing as he was a twelve-year-old struggling with an assortment of traumas that any adult would have trouble with even one at a time, she was attempting to exercise sympathy and understanding. Zuko certainly would have called her out if she had failed at any point, so it was safe to say she was succeeding.

At the moment, it was just past dusk, and they were on their way to their ship. She was trailing behind Zuko, Sokka, Katara, Aang, and the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, Suki, who had initially assigned herself to guide them when they first arrived and now was just hanging out with them. Azula was not especially mindful of the conversation until a commotion caught her attention; Momo, Aang’s new pet winged lemur, launched himself from Aang’s shoulder and darted down a dark alley.

“Momo, wait!” Aang shouted, darting after him. “Where are you going, buddy?”

Momo’s momentum did not cease or even slow, and so Aang’s did not either. The rest of them were on his heels.

After a handful of seconds, Sokka spied a familiar tail vanishing through the entrance of a seedy-looking tavern. Exchanging reluctant glances, the group entered. At once, Azula’s senses were assaulted by the pungent scents of alcohol and sweat, the sound of ice clinking and patrons talking, or perhaps arguing, in boisterous, bothersome timbres. She forced the distractions away from the forefront of her mind and cast her gaze about in search of the lemur, from the hallway in the back right corner beneath a sign that simply read ‘RESTROOMS,’ to the bartender pouring two glasses of wine for a pair of lively young men directly ahead of them, to the round wooden table just to the right of the entrance drenched in drool from its possibly comatose occupant. Finally, all the way up against the wall on the left, she spied a bowl of peaches being fought over by a crococat and her mark: Momo.

Someone else was taking note of the disturbance, and it wasn’t any of her companions; it was a tall, burly man with a leash in hand. Azula looked between the leash and the crococat’s similarly colored collar and realized it must have been his pet. “Found Momo, and possibly trouble,” she said quietly to the group, indicating first him, then the man with a discreet hand gesture.

“Momo!” Aang exclaimed, making to go for him.

Suki clasped the front of his tunic and pushed him gently behind her. “Please don’t draw attention to yourself here,” she warned sharply.

The other three stepped forward. Sokka went for the crococat while Katara went for Momo. Zuko hastily put himself between the tall man and his destination. “Is that your crococat?”

The man paused and nodded, his face cross.

“My apologies for this lemur’s behavior. He belongs to a friend of mine. I can certainly pay you back for any peaches it – “

Azula’s attention was drawn away from Zuko’s urgent mediation by a passing remark from one of the men at the bar. “ – hunted him for hundreds of miles, just by smelling his pillow – unbelievable!”

Startled, Azula glanced at Zuko, confirming to herself that the situation was under control, and inched closer to the bar. The man’s friend responded, “I bet anyone could do that if they had a shirshu, though. She doesn’t sound that impressive.”

The first man chortled. “No, man, you didn’t see her in that bar fight. It wasn’t just the shirshu. June is seriously an awesome bounty hunter.”

“Azula?”

Azula started and turned to see Katara looking at her oddly. The rest were making their way out of the tavern. “Are you ready to go?” Katara asked.

“Yes, of course.” Azula followed her out, tossing one last thoughtful look over her shoulder at the bar.

* * *

That night, she was conveniently well-placed to overhear Aang insisting to Katara that he absolutely had to sneak out to ride the Unagi one more time before they left. She wrote out a couple of notes using her right hand as opposed to her dominant left hand. (Once, when she had injured her left arm, she had briefly taken to writing with her right hand. Her handwriting with that hand was far from masterful, but it was legible, and moreover, perfectly anonymous.) She left one note in the Fire Nation quarters and one note in the Water Tribe quarters, and then she sat back and watched.

“Avatar Aang!” Jee exclaimed, aghast, as he strode from his room. “Please, young Avatar, I must implore you to leave the Unagi be!”

“What?!” Aang yelped in alarm. “Unagi? Who said anything about Unagi?”

“I’m sure we can find some other recreational activity to suit you,” Bato suggested. “Perhaps something less dangerous?”

As delegates from both sides swarmed Aang, Azula slipped off of the ship, away from the dock, and back into town.

In the daytime, Kyoshi Island’s marketplace had been remarkably active, especially considering its low population. Everywhere you looked, there had been fresh food, colorful knickknacks, and chatting patrons and vendors. Now that the moon had risen high into the sky, the bazaar was a ghost town, though the aroma of various spices and perfumes still hung heavy in the air. It was a tad unsettling, but easily preferable to the animated bustle of its daytime occupants.

As she stalked past empty stall after empty stall, the sound of footsteps reached Azula’s ears. She continued on her path, her vigilance newly heightened, now on the lookout for an acceptable escape route. It took only a few feet for her eyes to land on a hanging business sign that would suit her purposes, extending just out of reach between two buildings off to the left. When her route brought her close enough to it, she turned sharply in its direction, took a running leap, and latched onto it with both hands. Using the momentum from her jump, she heaved herself up onto the metal bar that held it up. Once she had secured her balance on the thin, flat rod, she scaled the wall that it protruded from and landed on the roof of the hut.

The footsteps she had heard now doubled in speed and heft, confirming that they were in pursuit of her. She ran along the roof of the building in the opposite direction of the marketplace and hurtled from that roof to the next, directly into a residential area. From there, she took a quick inventory of her surroundings and reoriented herself so that she could remain mindful of her destination. A series of quick rooftop hops later, she was confident that she had successfully shaken her shadow, so she returned to the pavement on the ground below and, after internally charting a brand new course, set off towards her objective.

If someone had told Azula just a day or two ago that she would be willingly, even happily setting foot in as tawdry and plebeian a place as the tavern from earlier, let alone twice in one day, she would have called them a fool. However, here she was, in one of the most classless establishments she’d ever neared. The odd looks from several patrons confirmed just how out-of-place she was, but most of them actually ignored her, which she was grateful for. Thankfully, the more important of the two men from earlier was still there. He was significantly more inebriated than he’d been earlier, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t still possess the information she sought.

Azula approached him straightaway. “Good evening,” she drawled, drawing herself up to her full height. “I heard you mention a bounty hunter named June earlier today. Where could one locate her and her pet shirshu?”

He looked her up and down just once, then snorted. “What’s in it for me, kid?”

Azula considered her options. She couldn’t let anyone in this bar know who she truly was, and everyone knew that the Prince and Princess of the Fire Nation were on the island, so using Fire Nation money or intimidating him with bending were both out of the question. She could use a few of the hand-to-hand combat tricks that Ty Lee had taught her to squeeze it out of him, but that would cause quite the ruckus, which meant she ran the risk of disrupting relations between her nation and Kyoshi Island, and possibly the Water Tribe, and possibly the Avatar. Besides, the man was muscular enough that a fight with him could very well leave Azula with bruises and other injuries she would rather not have to explain to her brother. She did have some Earth Kingdom money on her for emergencies, but could she retrieve it without letting anyone in on the fact that she had much more where that came from, and alerting them to her political significance?

“I’ll arm-wrestle you for it.”

Azula turned on her heel to stare at the familiar voice. A young girl just older than her stood a few paces beyond them, with light yellow-brown skin and a brown bob, her longer bangs tied around the back of her head. Her face was eerily familiar too, and the determined set of her jaw made her all the more so.

The man looked at her too, but with considerably less scrutiny and more condescension. “Yeah? And what do I get if I win?”

The girl contemplated him for a moment, then reached into her pocket and withdrew a simple chain, weighed down by a weathered but clearly valuable gemstone encircled by silver. “How about this?” she suggested, the softness of her voice belying the challenging quirk of her eyebrow, and Azula finally registered that she was looking at Suki, devoid of make-up and uniform.

If the man had made that same connection, he may have lost interest in the arrangement. Instead, he leaned forward and said smugly, “Deal,” leering at the pendant as if it were his already. Azula decided that she loathed this man.

As Suki passed Azula to meet the man at a nearby table, Zuko stumbled into the building. “Azula,” he hissed, “what are you doing?”

“Shh,” Azula replied, her gaze focused on Suki’s hand, dwarfed though It was by the hand that the older teen was grasping. “I’m watching.”

Zuko was clearly unhappy with the lack of answer, but he obliged her all the same, settling at her side to watch the ensuing arm-wrestling match.

At first glance, the two contenders seemed evenly matched, struggling with both competing hands at equal elevation. Then Suki’s hand commenced a slow descent, leading the man to lift his chin triumphantly. But Suki would surely not have agreed to this match if she didn’t have good reason to be confident in her abilities, so Azula started examining Suki’s body language, searching for hints that the tide was about to turn. Regrettably, Azula had not had much exposure to arm-wrestling matches and did not exactly know where to look. That was why, when Suki’s hand abruptly regained all of its prior height before slamming the man’s hand into the table, both her opponent and her audience were startled. The man scowled fiercely as he retracted his hand, but grudgingly wrote out on a scrap of parchment what was hopefully a thorough answer to Azula’s earlier questions.

Suki joined Azula and Zuko by the exit. “That guy’s huge,” Zuko remarked, glancing back and forth between Suki and her adversary. “You’re really that strong?”

“There’s a lot more to arm-wrestling than strength,” Suki said mildly, but then she smirked. “Also, yes.” She handed the note to Azula. “This is what you needed, right?”

Azula scanned the note. It listed a brief physical description and June’s frequent haunts, including an event called the Earth Rumble. Most of them were in Gaoling. “Yes.” As an afterthought, she added graciously, “Thank you,” and then, indulging in her curiosity, “How did you find me?”

Suki swiftly explained that the Kyoshi Warriors, who had not received any anonymous note, had taken note of Azula’s absence and reported it to Suki, who in turn had reported it to Zuko before helping him tail her, although Suki had opted to travel ahead of him once Azula noticed her tail.

“What are you here for, anyway?” Zuko demanded. “What did he write down for you?”

Azula glanced at Suki, but the warrior held her hands up innocently. “I didn’t read it,” she swore. “Far be it for me to invade a royal’s privacy.”

Well, the evening may not have gone exactly as planned, but at least Azula could fudge the information a bit to get Zuko off of her back. “It’s a bit of advice on hunting down criminals.” Zuko’s gaze narrowed suspiciously at once, so Azula quickly continued, “Nothing I need to look into right this second, or indeed any time soon. It’s for the future. When we return home after escorting the Avatar to the North Pole, I’ll hand the information off to a search party and, barring any further abrupt diplomatic emergencies, I will request Uncle’s permission to accompany them. You’ll come too, won’t you?”

A handy trick Azula had discovered years ago – just months after they lost their parents, in fact – was reminding Zuko of his familial sentimentality. Even an off-hand comment was a surefire way to render him pliant and overly trusting (more so than usual, anyway) in no time. One might call it a ‘manipulative’ tactic, but Azula preferred the word ‘clever;’ It sounded less disingenuous.

Zuko still looked suspicious, but there was a softness growing in the corners of his lips and the arc of his eyebrows that betrayed the inevitability of his submission. Sure enough, after a few moments, he sighed, his shoulders relaxing minutely, and relented, “Of course I’ll come. I just wish you would have told me where you were going. I would have come here with you.”

Satisfied with her victory, Azula replied mollifyingly, “You’re right. I should have told you. Sorry, Zuzu.” Given their observant company, she was loathe to utilize that childhood nickname, often saved only for moments like these or moments where she was vulnerable, but it was worth the expedited resolution to the conversation.

* * *

Of course, she wasn’t _actually_ going to hand this brand new information over to anyone at all. This lead was the biggest breakthrough in the hunt for Ursa to be discovered in years. Azula should know; she had been there every step of the way. Even before she’d hit double digits, she had stowed away on as many searches as she could, and often had not been caught for weeks. A few times, she had even managed to stay hidden until the search party had wrapped up its search and was on its way back to the Fire Nation. By the time Uncle had finally budged and allowed Azula and Zuko to head a search party of their own, four years had passed, and Ursa’s trail had decidedly gone cold two weeks deep into northwest Earth Kingdom territory.

The point was, she had borne witness firsthand to the sheer incompetence of the officers that Uncle employed time and time again. There was no way she was forking over her only lead. Everyone was liable to let her down. Her grandfather had let her down by ordering Zuko’s death. Her uncle had let her down by yielding to the other nations so often. Her mother had let her down by murdering her father. Even her father had let her down by letting down his guard so that he could get murdered by her mother. The only person in her life who had yet to disappoint her in any major way was Zuko, and she knew he would never agree to this plan, so she had to do this on her own.

With that last point in mind, it ought to have been less surprising when, at the entrance to the harbor from which she intended to steal a boat, she was faced with Zuko himself, his arms crossed, his face set solidly in that regrettably familiar scowl.

“…Hello, brother,” Azula greeted him, stalling. No wonder she hadn’t heard his footsteps behind her; he must have anticipated this move so far in advance that he had arrived ahead of her. Absently, she thought to be impressed by this. She was also vaguely chagrined that she hadn’t prepared countermeasures. In fact, she hadn’t even prepared a half-decent fabrication to explain her presence here…, at the harbor…, in the middle of the night…, in a dark and monochrome outfit…, without telling anyone where she was going…. On second thought, perhaps there wouldn’t have been a plausible fabrication anyway.

“You lied to me outright in that tavern,” Zuko stated. “Before that, you went out of your way to hide your intentions from me to the point of putting yourself in physical danger with those acrobatics. Before _that_ , you planted those notes with both delegations, putting your relationship with Aang, the Avatar, in jeopardy. Revenge is worth that much to you?”

Azula’s temper flared. How dare he boil her motivations down to such a trivial notion? “This is about justice, not revenge,” she snapped. “You really think so lowly of me? Or do you think so lowly of Father that you don’t believe he deserves justice at all?”

“Don’t put words in my mouth,” Zuko bit out. He took a deep breath and uncrossed his arms to rub his face, visibly reining in his ire. “What I _think_ ,” he continued through gritted teeth, “first and foremost, is that I can’t let you wander the Earth Kingdom by yourself. Everything else is secondary.”

“You’re welcome to join me, Zuzu, but otherwise – “

“Ooh, can I come too?”

Jarred out of their argument, the two of them rotated on the spot to Azula’s right, where they had, over the course of said argument, apparently collected quite the audience.

“You’re leaving?” Katara addressed Aang, baffled. “ _Why_?” At his side, Suki and Sokka fixed him with equally baffled looks.

“I want to go to Omashu where my friend Bumi used to live,” Aang explained excitedly. “We used to have so much fun there! But apparently it’s not ‘ _on our agenda_ ’ for the trip to the Northern Water Tribe,” he added sullenly, complete with air quotes and the most pathetic case of sad polar bear puppy dog eyes Azula had ever beheld.

This… had actually worked out spectacularly well for Azula, in the end. An air bison was certainly an improvement over a canoe, after all. Plus, an opportunity to have the Avatar to herself so she could personally befriend him without competition? There was no good reason to pass up something like that. “Gaoling is on the way to Omashu,” she informed him pleasantly. “That’s where I’m headed. Perhaps we can stop there?”

“Sure!” Aang chirped, oblivious to the comically alarmed faces that the other four were making. “What’s in Gaoling?”

“Justice for my father’s death.”

Ah, yes, that comment achieved two goals: dissolve that unbearably cheerful atmosphere and dismiss anyone’s suspicions of ulterior motives for engaging Aang’s and, more to the point, his bison’s help. Aang surprised her by summoning a genuinely solemn demeanor. “I would be honored to assist you in seeking justice, Princess Azula,” he said, bowing his head.

Behind him, Sokka and Katara visibly did not agree, likely because Ursa’s other victim had been the famously war-mongering Fire Lord Azulon. All the same, Azula was confident that they would not manage to convince him out of this; air nomads were partial to justice through official channels as opposed to the vigilante justice, which was the common interpretation of Ursa’s crimes from outside perspectives. Aang was especially inclined to uphold that ideal as both the last of the air nomads and a pubescent boy who had not lived through Azulon’s rule.

The two water tribe teens must have reached the same conclusion, for the next thing Sokka said was, "Then we'll come too!"

Katara shot Sokka a surprised look. "We will? Don't get me wrong, that sounds fun and all, but you're really okay with that?"

" _I sure am_ ," Sokka replied with a tenseness that belied his words. "Sounds fun. You're right." 

Suki glanced between the five of them. "You're really all gonna take off now?"

Zuko sighed. "Seems like it."

"Well, I guess I'm joining you then."

Aang started. "Really?" he asked excitedly.

"Of course. My warriors can handle themselves without me for a time. If I stayed here, you might get exploited by those with... less than benevolent motivations." She gave each of them a pointed look, which was fair.

Suki left them briefly to leave a note for her second-in-command. Then the six of them mounted Appa and departed the island, heading for Gaoling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be up 12/30! Please let me know what you think if you have time :)


	3. Shipwreck on the Shore

> Are we going down or will we fly?  
>  This could be a shipwreck on the shore  
>  Or we could sail away forevermore  
>  This time, it’s sink or swim
> 
> Sink Or Swim by Tyrone Wells

#### Chapter 3: Shipwreck on the Shore

#### Zuko’s POV

Several days into their journey found all of them sitting around a campfire about half a day's flight from their destination, finishing off the last of their breakfast. The tents that Zuko had purchased with most of his money were rolled up in preparation for their departure, and the Earth Kingdom disguises everyone wore had cost Azula most of hers. Unfortunately, their group funds were running pretty short since the other four hadn’t had much money on them to start with. Zuko had contemplated asking Uncle to send some money their way, but that would let Azula know that he was in touch with Uncle still. (He had secretly informed him of the plan, hoping that he would send someone to collect them and stop this mad endeavor before it could truly begin, but Uncle had written back that he thought this was an excellent way to strengthen his bond with all five of his companions, and also that he should “enjoy his youth while he can.”)

It was obviously a priority to find a way to replenish their funds as soon as possible. They already had a plan for paying the bounty hunter once they found her, but that wouldn’t help feed them. That was why today’s morning discussion was centered on ways to make money and/or procure food on their own.

“I’m telling you guys, if I can just get my hands on some better bait, I’ll have us well-fed in no time,” Sokka swore for a second time.

Katara muttered something under her breath that Zuko was too far away to hear. On her right, Aang chortled, and Azula, who sat on her left, cracked a small, lopsided smirk. Presumably Katara’s comment had been something rather humorous and uncomplimentary regarding Sokka’s fishing skills, which had thus far proven… unreliable, to say the least.

Sokka scowled at his sister. “I will,” he insisted.

“Sure, Sokka.”

“I – “

“It’s a moot point, anyway, since we don’t have the money for ‘better bait,’” Suki interjected hastily. “So… other ideas?”

“Oh! I could do some cool airbending tricks!” Aang suggested cheerfully. “The kids on Kyoshi loved those!”

“You can’t airbend,” Zuko pointed out, “or they’ll know you’re the Avatar.”

Aang was unfazed. “I’ll just figure out some substitutes that don’t use airbending – for example, if I use pebbles instead of marbles, I can pretend I’m earthbending, and if – “

“No offense, Aang, but I don’t know that you can actually get paid for those tricks,” Katara told him, patting his knee sympathetically.

“There are often fighting competitions in some of these more remote Earth Kingdom towns,” Azula mused. “I’m sure we could find a weapon-friendly nonbending contest.”

Sokka looked back and forth between Azula and Zuko like he was trying to figure out whose skills she was promoting. Azula remedied the situation by adding pleasantly, “Zuko is a very talented swordsman. He’s spent the past eight years under the tutelage of Master Piandao, the world’s greatest swordsmanship instructor, and he’s well-known in the Fire Nation for his abilities. In fact, he often spars with visiting dignitaries and their bodyguards, and nearly always bests them. I’m confident that if we entered him a nonbending fighting competition, he would emerge with the first place prize.”

Zuko could not for the life of him tell if Azula was bragging about him out of patriotism, familial pride, or a desire to intimidate their traveling companions. Either way, the fact that she was bragging about his abilities (as opposed to her own) warmed him more than he would have expected.

Suki tilted her head, contemplating the trees on the outskirts of their haphazard campsite. “I could join too.”

Whether it was his own instincts or Azula’s influence was uncertain, but Zuko found himself immediately suspicious of Suki’s offer. Perhaps she sensed that, for her gaze locked onto first Azula, then Zuko, and then she raised an eyebrow. “I could use a good fight,” she said by way of explanation, then continued slyly, “I suppose there’s no telling which of us would win, but I don’t doubt that we would get first and second place between the two of us.”

Zuko supposed that was a reasonable enough answer. Azula still looked suspicious, but she was masking it well now; he was probably the only one amongst them who could tell.

* * *

That evening, the six of them filed into the stands of the Earth Rumble about fifteen minutes early. As they secured two sets of three seats, one in the row directly before the other, Azula passed her note from the tavern around so that everyone could read the physical description that Azula’s informant had supplied. Then they set about scanning the room for their quarry.

As a tall, sturdy man ascended the staircase to the stage in the center of the building, Aang suddenly bolted upright.

“Do you see her?” Sokka asked, already peering in the same direction as him.

“No,” Aang replied. “But do you see that girl, over there?” He pointed across the room, where a young girl with pale blue eyes and messy black hair leaned in the doorway, her demeanor so thoroughly unimpressed that Zuko could practically feel it from where he sat.

“…Yeah?” Suki said.

“Doesn’t she look… I don’t know, important?” Aang pressed, lowering his voice as the man on the stage began addressing the audience.

Everyone exchanged baffled glances.

“…No?” Suki said.

“Important how?” Azula asked curiously.

“You know, like…, important,” Aang repeated. “…Important.” He looked around at all of them, and their collective confusion was reflected in his features. “You don’t… You don’t see it? None of you?”

Azula considered the strange girl for a heartbeat. “There is something about her posture,” she commented. “She’s wearing the clothes of a commoner, but her body language is reminiscent of royalty, or at least aristocracy.” On the stage, a match had begun, but by now none of them were watching, instead opting to continue observing the girl in the doorway.

Aang twisted all the way around in his seat to give Azula a startled look. “You think so?” He glanced back at the girl, though his torso was still turned towards the row behind him. “Huh…. Yeah, I bet you’re right…. That’s not actually what I meant though.”

Azula arched an eyebrow, but did not comment further.

“I think it must be an Avatar thing,” Aang decided. “I have a feeling about her. I think she must be important.”

Abruptly, Suki smacked Zuko on his right upper arm a couple times. “I see her,” she hissed.

Zuko leaned backwards as Azula scooted closer to him and leaned over him towards Suki. “Are you sure?” she hissed back.

“Positive,” Suki confirmed. “That guy back on Kyoshi wasn’t wrong; she’s got a _very_ distinctive style.”

As soon as Zuko had tracked Suki’s gaze to the left-hand side of the bottom row of seats, he knew she was right. Clearly making the same call, Azula jerked on Zuko’s left arm and said, “Let’s sit a little closer so we don’t lose her.”

Zuko was surprised that she didn’t want to keep an eye on Aang instead, but he didn’t comment on it. Possibly, it was a sign of…, well, probably not ‘trust,’ but maybe a decrease in paranoia at least. “Sure.” He whispered to Suki what they were doing. Once she nodded confirmation that she’d heard, he and Azula descended to the bottom row so they could cross in front of Aang, then Katara, then Sokka, then go back up a row and creep along until they were sitting diagonally from June.

He tried his best to enjoy the match, but he didn’t have much success. Even watching that girl from earlier wipe the floor with a man five times her size couldn’t fully distract him from the anticipation of their conversation with June. After what felt like much, much longer than the hour this event was supposed to take, the fighting on-stage ended, and the girl was presented with her prize money. Zuko sent Azula a questioning look, to which she nodded, and then he followed her down to June’s seat.

“Excuse me, are you the bounty hunter June?” Azula asked.

June eyed them. “I sure am. Why?”

“I heard you have a shirshu that can track criminal across great distances just by catching the scent of their possessions.” When Zuko had first heard that a possession had been needed, he’d been a little worried at first, but Azula had told him that she had it covered. “If that’s true, I have a job for you.”

June gave them a funny look, and Zuko realized, suddenly, that she was probably not often approached by a pair of teenagers looking to catch a criminal. “Who’s paying?”

“The bounty will pay for itself,” Azula assured her. “It’s yours if you take us to her. All of it.”

“Uh-huh,” June said slowly, “if I turn her in, which means you don’t want her. So if you don’t want her, and you don’t want the bounty, what exactly _do_ you want?”

“She stole something from me,” Azula lied smoothly. “I want it back. That’s all.”

“How magnanimous of you,” June commented dryly. Despite her dubious tone, she gave them both a once-over, and the skepticism on her face faded to begrudging acceptance. “Alright, fine. Works for me. You got something I can use to hunt her down?”

Azula held up an earring that Zuko recognized at once: it was indeed their mother’s, and it was an earring that Zuko had kept in his bag every time he’d traveled anywhere ever since Ursa left them. It was half of a pair he’d bought for his mother’s birthday years ago, at an age so young that his memory of the event now was crafted primarily through stories Uncle told him, having been the one to facilitate the purchase in Ozai’s apathetic absence. He had never been quite sure why that single earring had been left all alone on his mother’s dresser, set apart from the rest of the jewelry, but part of him had fancied that it connected him to her in some way.

At first, he was abashed at having been caught with it, and then, briefly, he was furious that Azula had just blatantly stolen it from him, and then he was confused and a little abashed once more at feeling so emotional about it. It was just a token from a traitor. He shouldn’t care about it at all.

“The thief dropped this while she was stealing from us,” Azula told June. “That was six years ago. Will it do?”

“Depends. Where’s it been kept since then?”

“My brother has kept it on his person in the hopes that it would lead us to her someday.”

“And that’s it?”

“That’s it.”

“Should be just fine then. Since he’s right here, my shirshu can sniff him, and then she’ll be able to distinguish his scent from the original owner’s scent. Just give me, oh, about three days to sort my affairs in this town and then we can roll.”

June headed out of the stadium. Zuko waited until she was out of earshot, then turned to Azula and said, “You think we can keep pretending we’re hunting a ‘thief’ long enough to catch her?”

“Certainly,” Azula replied, not a shred of doubt in her voice or her countenance. “Of course, she’ll likely infer the truth once we’ve actually got her, but by then she’ll have no time at all to make any treasonous plans without risking getting left behind by us and missing out on the bounty.”

Despite Azula’s confidence, Zuko was still unsure of their plan. Objectively, it sounded right, but there were surely still ways that this could backfire spectacularly on them, even if neither of them could think of any of those ways right at the moment. Was it really worth the risk? On the one hand, he knew Azula needed closure. Honestly, he was self-aware enough to admit that he needed closure, too. And though she would never, ever admit it to anyone, he knew Azula had always felt insecure about her relationship with Ursa, and that she still felt insecure sometimes about her relationship with him and with Uncle, and he had long suspected that if she just had the chance to confront Ursa once and for all, those insecurities might just be assuaged.

On the other hand, Azula’s safety had to be the number one priority. If this plan could possibly endanger her….

Ignorant to his internal conflict (although Azula was rarely as ignorant as she seemed, or even as ignorant as she rightfully should be, so he couldn’t be sure), Azula handed Ursa’s earring to him. “I’ll trust you to keep this safe and not ‘conveniently’ lose it within the next three days,” she told him, proving that once again, she had employed observational skills not dissimilar from outright mind-reading. Not only had she cut down the plan he’d hardly begun to consider, but she had also quite frustratingly spoken, with her first three words, the one key phrase that was sure to weaken his resolve. And she knew that it would. And he knew that she knew that it would. And yet he felt his resolve weakening anyway.

Zuko winced as he took the earring from her, momentarily distracted from his musings. “About the earring – “

Azula dismissed the excuses he had not yet begun to make with a wave of her hand. “It’s alright, Zuzu,” she said patiently. “You’ve always been the sentimental one. You can’t separate family from duty. I understand. That’s why we’re such a good team.”

And there was the second key phrase. Damn. His resolve shattered.

Zuko and Azula met the other four members of their party just outside the stadium. Before they could share the results of their discussion with June, Aang blurted out, “I gotta go find that girl.”

Zuko frowned. “The Blind Bandit?”

“Yeah! I have to talk to her!”

“His Avatar senses told him that she’s supposed to teach him earthbending,” Sokka relayed helpfully. “Or something like that.”

Zuko exchanged looks with Azula. They had to leave soon. If Aang had found the person who was destined to instruct him, did that mean he had to stay?

“Not that it matters,” Sokka continued, “since everyone we spoke to swore up and down that she’s impossible to find outside of the Earth Rumble.”

“I don’t suppose you have anything of hers?” Azula queried Aang.

Aang shook his head regretfully. “Nope.”

“Well, no matter. There can’t be that many aristocratic families in the area, and she certainly belongs to one of them. I’ll find her and arrange a meeting for you.”

He perked up. “Thanks, Azula!”

“Do you still intend to travel to Omashu?”

“Oh, yeah, of course! Technically I’m really supposed to master waterbending before I even start learning earthbending, so I guess I’ll come back here when I’m done at the North Pole. I just need to know how to find her again later.”

Well, that solved one problem, at least.

“So how did things go with the bounty hunter?” Katara asked cheerfully.

“She’ll help us in three days, when she’s done with her business here,” Zuko divulged. “Not sure how we’ll handle traveling arrangements, though….”

“The man in the tavern said he traveled with her on her shirshu,” Azula said to Zuko. “So perhaps I’ll just ride with her on her shirshu while you travel with everyone else to Omashu, and once we’ve located Mother, I’ll send you a letter to let you know where we are.”

“There is _no way_ that’s happening,” Zuko said immediately, half-outraged, half-astounded that she thought he would even consider that. “Shirshus can fit more than two passengers as long as none of them are especially heavy. I’ll go with you.”

Azula’s eyes flashed warningly, and Zuko remembered that one of them was supposed to stay with the Avatar. Personally, Zuko didn’t think any of their companions were likely to try and turn him against them in their absence, though, so that seemed like an unnecessary precaution. Besides that, even if they were, that wouldn’t make it okay for Azula to go off with some strange woman they’d just met.

“Wait, I don’t wanna go to Omashu without you guys,” Aang cut in unexpectedly. “We’ve been having so much fun! Maybe… I’ll just follow you guys on Appa until you find her, and then once you’ve turned her in and everything, we can all go to Omashu together?”

That sounded like a solid compromise to Zuko, but he could see that Azula was still conflicted. Thankfully, Katara popped up next with an ideal solution: “If we do that, then, Zuko, do you mind if I ride with Azula instead? Riding a shirshu sounds like a lot of fun.”

Now he could see the cogs turning in Azula’s head as she eyed Katara quizzically, determining the motivation behind her offer. As far as Zuko was concerned, though, it didn’t matter; Katara would certainly be no match for Azula in a fight, and she was certainly not in cahoots with someone planning to do Azula harm, so whether her offer came from a place of friendship, diplomacy, or somewhere else altogether, it was just fine with Zuko. Still, out of respect for Azula’s preferences, he waited until she nodded (if a little doubtfully) to turn to Katara and say, “That’s fine with me.”

Sokka sighed. “We are going to follow you two _so closely_.”

“I recommend the opposite, actually,” Suki put forth reluctantly, wincing at the looks that both Zuko and Sokka gave her. “Don’t we want to avoid June finding out that Aang is with us? Appa’s a pretty distinctive ride.”

“Yes, he is,” Azula agreed firmly.

“We’ll be fine,” Katara promised. “Just stay a few miles behind us – I’m sure a shirshu will leave a trail, right?” She looked around for confirmation, but no one had the faintest clue what kind of trail a shirshu might leave. “…Well, it probably does. And if it doesn’t, we’ll send you a letter from wherever we end up the first time we stop for the night.” She huffed. “We’re not _helpless_.”

Zuko wasn’t sure how helpless Katara might be as he’d yet to see her fight, but Azula, at least, was certainly anything but. “…Alright. We’ll follow at a distance, and you’ll send us a letter from each town you stop at just in case we lose your track, and we’ll meet you there and check in with you at least once a day.”

Azula quirked an eyebrow at him.

“ _Please_.”

“Those terms are acceptable to me if they’re acceptable to Katara,” Azula allowed with an air of great benevolence.

Katara started. “Oh, I guess that’s fine.”

Sokka groaned defeatedly. “I guess I’m outnumbered.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is out on 01/01!


	4. Back Against the Wall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year everyone!

> Started as a flicker meant to be a flame  
>  Skin has gotten thicker but it burns the same  
>  Still a baby in a cradle, gotta take my first fall  
>  Baby’s getting next to nowhere  
>  With her back against the wall
> 
> \- Bottle It Up by Sara Bareilles

#### Chapter 4: Back Against the Wall

#### Azula’s POV

“Azula.”

“Yes?”

“Doesn’t something seem off to you about this?”

That was about the fiftieth time Zuko had posed the question, and Azula was tempted to blow him off, but the question gained more and more weight as time carried on. It had been two weeks since they had met June and embarked on their search for Ursa, led by June’s shirshu. Theoretically, it should be perfectly normal for this kind of expedition to take much longer than that, but…, well, with the shirshu on their side, she had thought it might be a bit faster.

She would have been worried about getting caught by the escort they had ditched, too, if it weren’t for the fact that a truly remarkable lack of attention had been drawn to the disappearance of all four heirs to the Fire Nation and the Southern Water Tribe, not to mention the Avatar. But she had a sneaking suspicion that Zuko and Sokka were keeping their respective guardians up to date on their whereabouts and conditions. So long as no one got in her way, she was content to let them both believe that they successfully hidden that fact, though.

“Anything in particular making you feel that way this time?” Azula asked Zuko dryly.

“Yes, actually,” Zuko replied. “Suki and I spied on June last night while you five bought dinner – “

“You said you were signing up for the nonbending fighting competition,” Azula accused, less upset with Zuko for lying than she was with herself for failing to notice. She must have been more on-edge than she’d thought while hunting Ursa.

“We did sign up for it,” Zuko defended impatiently, “and _after_ that, we spied on June. She was talking to a bartender she seemed to know well, so once she left, we asked him how long he thought it’d be ‘till we caught up with our bounty. He said he had no idea, because it normally didn’t take June half this long to catch someone. In fact, she normally doesn’t even take half-days off in the middle of a hunt like she did today.”

“Our mother has evaded capture for years,” Azula reasoned. “She must know how to cover her tracks well by now. For all we know, she’s disguised her scent somehow.”

Zuko sighed. “…I know you’re right, but this just doesn’t sit right with me, ‘Zula…. You really don’t think there’s anything suspicious about her? About any of this?”

Azula shook her head.

“…Well, your judgment here is better than mine,” he muttered, rubbing his face tiredly. “Maybe I’m just seeing things that aren’t there.”

Whether he was right or wrong, Azula didn’t like the way he was dismissing his own opinions out-of-hand. She tilted her head to the side, contemplating ways she could compromise with him without jeopardizing their search. “I’ll ask her for an estimate tonight,” she told him. “If it’s a short timeline, then I’ll question her if it takes longer than that. If it’s a long timeline, we can reconvene tomorrow, all of us, and discuss ways to… interrogate her subtly. Brainstorm some questions that might trip her up if she’s misleading us.”

“That sounds fair,” Zuko agreed, some of the unease draining from his features.

* * *

Zuko and Suki did indeed secure first and second place, so to celebrate their new pool of disposable funds, all seven of them (including Toph, the Blind Bandit from the Earth Rumble, who had elected to join them for personal reasons that mostly amounted to pre-teenage rebellion) headed to a nearby merchants’ pier.

“Watch this,” Katara whispered in Azula’s ear, nodding to Sokka, who walked a few paces ahead of them and off to the side beside the other two elder teens, a mango smoothie in his hand.

Azula glanced curiously at the waterbender, then obligingly trained her gaze on Sokka. Moments later, he raised the beverage to his lips. Then he lowered it, frowning at it. He raised it a second time. He lowered it, still frowning. He held the drink at arm’s length and tilted it slowly, examining the liquid within as it crept towards the rim of the cup. Finally, he put it to his lips again, and then he seemed to relax.

“You’re bending the water in the smoothie,” Azula murmured. Unbidden, her lips quirked.

Katara nodded, beaming smugly. “I can’t do it too many times in a row or he’ll get suspicious, though.”

It was a completely frivolous usage of bending, of course, and not indicative of any extraordinary talent, but Azula found it rather humorous nonetheless.

“You must use your firebending for things like that with your nonbending friends sometimes,” Katara said expectantly, “right?”

Azula frowned. “Firebending is an incredibly powerful and destructive force. It is absolutely not to be used so lightly.”

“Oh, come on.” Katara narrowed her eyes skeptically. “There’s got to be _something_ funny you could do with firebending. Like…, uh…” Azula waited tolerantly as Katara came to the inevitable conclusion. “Okay, I’m _sure_ there’s something. I’m just… not thinking of anything right this second.”

Azula raised an eyebrow. “I assure you there’s nothing.”

“Don’t think I missed you implying that firebending is more powerful than waterbending, either,” Katara continued as if Azula hadn’t spoken. “Once I get my hands on some waterbending instruction, I’m gonna knock both you and Toph on your butts.”

“I strongly doubt that,” Azula replied serenely. She was surprised to feel something like competitiveness stirring within her, especially provoked by, well, anyone other than Zuko and occasionally Mai and Ty Lee. She was also surprised to realize Katara was right; she had implied firebending’s superiority. It hadn’t been terribly diplomatic of her. Her instincts for strategic and tactful communication seemed to have been faltering lately. Perhaps she was growing complacent, having spent so much time in Katara’s and the others’ company.

At the front of their group, Aang led them into one of the shops, drawn by an energetic salesperson with long, dark brown hair, golden hoop earrings, and a generally unsettling mien. Azula met Zuko’s gaze, flicking her own gaze pointedly at the salesperson before flicking it back to her brother. _Keep an eye on him. He’s suspicious._

He glanced at the salesperson, nodded in acknowledgement, and arched one eyebrow at her questioningly, his head tilted pointedly back the way they came. _I agree. Do you want us to leave?_

Azula contemplated the salesperson for a moment, then shook her head. _No, I doubt he’ll try something, and we can handle it if he does._

“Check this out!” Katara tugged on Azula’s sleeve, presenting her with a scroll. “It’s full of waterbending moves!”

Azula hummed thoughtfully as she scanned the masterfully illustrated poses. “Perhaps you could be ‘knocking me on my butt’ sooner than we anticipated,” she mused, and their companions, who were within earshot now but had not been during the earlier exchange, reacted with a variety of amused noises.

A conspicuous cough interrupted them. “Sorry, but that knickknack is already sold.” The salesperson plucked the scroll from Katara’s hands.

“Wait, what?” Katara exclaimed. “Hang on – for how much?”

The man eyed her speculatively. “One hundred gold pieces. Of course, if you can outmatch that…”

“No one bought this for a hundred,” Azula dismissed, running some mental calculations. “These have been circulating more frequently over the past few years, ever since the Northern Water Tribe ceased their policy of isolationism and began reconnecting with the other nations. A high-end store in Omashu or Ba Sing Se might be able to sell one of these for seventy-five, but given your… questionable methods of obtaining merchandise, I’m sure the price would be cut down to at most twenty-five.”

The man grinned. “Ha! Twenty-five, for a scroll like this? Not a chance. You’d have to go all the way to the Pole itself to get a price like that. _Maybe_ eighty-five would be accurate.”

Azula haggled the man down to sixty gold pieces, and soon strode out of the store with the others. “Seeing as this was likely stolen from the Northern Water Tribe,” Azula said, “it would make quite an excellent impression on all our behalves’ if we were able to return it, but that doesn’t mean you and Aang can’t get a headstart on your training.”

“Awesome!” Katara cheered, happily accepting the scroll from her.

It was around the time June had asked Azula to meet her to continue with their hunt, so she and Katara bid the others farewell and made their way down to the end of the dock. On the way there, Azula relayed in low tones the plan she had told to Zuko earlier.

“So what do we consider a short timeline?” Katara asked.

“Hmm. I would say… about another week.”

“I think that’s pretty reasonable. Have you thought about the questions you’ll ask her yet? If she estimates longer than a week?”

Azula opened her mouth to respond –

_Smoke? Why is there smoke? Black smoke – something is still burning -_

_\- smells like almonds. What smells like almonds? What burns and smells like -_

_\- blasting jelly does – and blasting jelly means explosives -_

The black smoke and almond scent had scarcely registered in Azula’s mind before her body reacted to the information. Fueled by adrenaline, she spun to face Katara, latched onto her waist, and hurled her over the side of the dock. She saw the other girl hit the water, and the world erupted and then went black –

* * *

Azula came to in a room dark enough that it took her eyes some time to adjust. Once they had, she realized it was a nearly room-sized wooden crate. The wooden planks were mostly a pale brown color, with minimal variation in shade, no growth rings to speak of, and darker knots few and far between. The crate was devoid of furniture barring a simple, dim lighting fixture tacked onto a wall beyond her reach, and she was the only person there. Between the thick stench of saltwater, the sound of waves crashing, and the distinct absence of motion befitting seafaring, she was almost certainly back at the pier.

Her mouth was gagged by cloth, and any noise she made would likely be muffled enough that passersby would not hear it through the wood. If she tested it, that Her hands were behind her back, bound at the wrist by cold, smooth metal. She leaned backwards and stretched her hands down, trying to test the pliability of the wood, but felt resistance before her fingers made contact with anything. A twist of her torso and a glance over her shoulder revealed a slight groove in the wooden floor. She stretched her hands to the ground again, and when she turned, there was a second groove. Apprehensive now, she reluctantly lit a small flame between the palms of her hands. Within seconds, the ring of metal securing her wrists was scalding, and she extinguished the flame more by instinct than by conscious thought, hissing as she waited for the metal to cool off.

So, her hands were encased by some sort of metal cube. _Interesting_ , she thought, begrudgingly impressed by the forethought. Theoretically, she could just melt her way through that cube and power through the pain, but there was a good chance that would do permanent damage to her hands and wrist, so she would save that as a last resort for the absolute worst-case scenario. Besides, though she was loathe to admit it even to herself, it was also possible that even her exceptional threshold for pain would not be able to withstand that kind of agony long enough to escape her restraints, and then she would have burned hands and nothing to show for it.

Her strategy session was cut short by a door-shaped and -sized section of crate in the wall directly ahead of her being pushed forward, revealing a pirate with a parrot on his shoulder and one of those classic triangular captain’s hats, a second, female pirate, and June, the traitor herself. Beyond them was clearly the interior of a ship, likely a cargo bay.

“Secret passage,” Azula commented airily, trying to distract them into leaving the door open so she could continue sneaking inquisitive glances past them. “A tad cliché, but effective all the same.” The distance from her makeshift cell to the cargo bay’s exit, which was just within her line of sight, was vast enough that the cargo bay itself was surely of a size befitting a prolific merchant’s ship. Were they using it to smuggle her, or were they storing her there temporarily?

“Man, you really think you’re so clever, huh?” June remarked. “Girl after my own heart. In different circumstances, we might even have been friends, Princess.”

Azula resolutely preserved her impassive visage, but her heart was sinking. She had known that they knew who she was, of course, because it was the only logical conclusion to draw, but it was still somehow disheartening to hear confirmation. At least they didn’t seem to know about Aang, though. “How did you figure it out?” she queried, still stalling. There was another crate off to the left that was just barely visible from her position, but she could see only the edge of the label, not even the last character of whatever writing might be on said label.

“Your acting was solid, but truth is, I knew who you and your brother were when I saw you. Portraits of your family have circulated all over the world, and us criminals like to learn the faces of royalty in case an opportunity presents itself. You never stood a chance.” June turned to the pair of pirates. “You two can handle this part without me, right?”

“Of course,” the pirate captain sneered. “We’re not amateurs.”

June rolled her eyes. “Sure. Just don’t damage the merchandise. Royalty is more valuable in one piece.” She passed a vial of something (likely a drug, Azula thought: perhaps shirshu venom) to the female pirate and, with a flippant wave, left the crate.

She was putting her hand on the door. She was going to close it behind her.

“Open up,” the pirate captain said gruffly. “Faster we get this over with, the easier it is on all of us.”

Azula made a show of pressing her lips together, expressing her unwillingness to accommodate them, and threw herself to the right, away from them.

 _There!_ As the door shut, she glimpsed the words ‘Boshu Cabbages’ on the nearby crate’s label.

…That was it? That was the one clue she had garnered? She was on this ship alongside the stock of a cabbage merchant? No location, not even a hint at a location, just… cabbages.

For the first time, Azula felt the beginnings of something like despair in the pit of her stomach.

“Just drink it,” the female pirate growled, stomping towards Azula as she uncorked the vial. “What is this going to accomplish?”

Azula scowled, maintaining a pointed silence, but opened her mouth. When the pirate poured the liquid into her mouth, she rolled her eyes, sighed through her nose, and swallowed.

“See you on the other side, kid.” With that, both pirates left her.

The joke was on them, though, because Azula had spent years pretending to drink the sad excuses for tea that Zuko prepared. Once the fading footsteps were out of earshot, she spat the venom out, hoping little enough of it had entered her system for her to retain consciousness. Unfortunately, even with consciousness, there wasn’t much she could do to improve her situation.

Zuko must have known she was missing, though. He would be looking for her. If she couldn’t escape, then she could plan ahead for when he caught up with her. By… leaving him a clue, perhaps?

Focusing, she carefully dug the edge of her metallic, cubic restraint into the wooden floor behind her, then very, very slowly dragged it to the side, counting the seconds to keep track of the size of the marking. After several painstaking moments, the first character of her name had theoretically been etched into the floor. She took a break from her work to examine it, discovering, to her great displeasure, that it was a pathetic mimicry of legible writing. Once she had practiced a few times, however, she managed a serviceable carving.

Before she could get started on the second character, however, the sound of incoming footsteps reached her ears. She slumped over where she sat, pretending to be knocked out in case someone entered the crate.

“…one thing, though; the bounty on Sako – sorry, Ursa – is enough for us to retire. Combine that with the ransom we’re gonna get off the fire princess and we’ve got it made.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. We’ve still got to get to Maiji to confirm that Sako really is this girl’s mother. For all we know, she just stole the Fire Lady’s earring.”

“Come on, man. Who would keep _one earring_ if not for sentimental value? I just can’t believe we’ve been trading with the woman who murdered the freaking Fire Lord and Fire Prince all these years.”

Azula’s heart stopped.

They knew her mother?

They… were taking her to her mother?

Numb, Azula waited till the footsteps had gone past her, followed by the sound of a door swinging open then closed (absently, she concluded that they must have had some kind of secret passage into the cargo bay from somewhere other than the main ship interior). Then, her hands returned to their prior objective, acting on autopilot as they etched out first her name, then her destination, then, hesitantly, the name Sako.

 _Sako_ , she repeated to herself. _If nothing else… at least I have a name now._

* * *

Azula meditated the rest of her time in waiting away, focusing her mind on anything other than the possibly imminent reunion with the woman she had sought out for most of her memorable life. It wasn’t long before footsteps sounded nearby once again. This time her feigned unconsciousness was not in vain, for someone entered her cage and scooped her into their arms. The feeling of forcing limpness was highly unpleasant as she was carried off none too gently, limbs spilling out of her captor’s clumsy grasp.

She counted each step, more out of a desperate need to feel productive than any real belief that it would help. Thirty-four steps in, her captor ascended a six-step staircase. Twenty-eight steps past that, a soft breeze ruffled Azula’s clothes. She chanced a peek at her surroundings through her eyelashes, confident that to the uninformed bystander, her eyes would still appear closed.

A ramp several feet from her led up to a large merchant ship. A sea vulture sat atop the mast of another much smaller ship a handful of yards from the merchant ship. A poorly tied sail on a sad little canoe was unfastened and hauled into the distance by the wind.

And there, cloaked in shadows and foliage, tucked away in the branches of a tree, was Katara, steady blue eyes trained on her as Azula was hauled onto a different ship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The crate was made of basswood, in case you were wondering. Yes, I did look up the softest wood one can use for carving so that I could describe its appearance properly.
> 
> Edit 01/06: Having some laptop trouble, so it might be a little while before I can get the next chapter out. I'll put it up as soon as I can though.

**Author's Note:**

> > And it's our time now  
> If you want it to be  
> Maul the world  
> Like the carnival bear set free  
> ...And in the end  
> I'd do it all again
>> 
>> The Kids Aren't Alright by Fall Out Boy


End file.
